Chimney attachment.



P. W. FERGUSON, CHIMNEY ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1. J6 J8 J6 Fzg 5 P. W. FERGUSON. CHIMNEY ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

2 sums-SHEET 2.

FRANCIS W. FERGUSON, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CHIMNEY ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Application filed Ill/[arch 19, 1912. Serial No. 684,876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS Fnucrr soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chimney Attachn'ients, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to chimneys, especially to the top or discharge ends thereof.

One object of the invention is to secure a greater draft than is natural in the flue, thereby promoting combustion and at the same time dispensing with down-drafts, which not only blow smoke out into the room, but are also liable to cause confiagrations.

Another object is to prevent rain or snow from.passing down the flue, so that the same may be left open for ventilation when the fire is out, as during the summer season; also to protect the brick or stone work from having the mortar washed out and from being discolored by dirty water running down the outside of the chimney. By excluding moisture from the flue, it is not necessary to take down the metal pipe connecting .the furnace to the flue during the summer, as there is no danger of this pipe rusting out.

Further objects of the invention are to produce a device of the character described which is inexpensive to manufacture, and to construct the device in conformity to the shape of the chimney and in imitation of the brick or stone work .of which it made whereby the top of the chimney presents a pleasing appearance.

My improvement may be placed on old chimneys or erected as a part of the chimney in new work. In either case, the invention consists essentially of a cap or flue section fitting in the top of the iiue and projecting above the chimney proper, said cap being closed at its upper end and hav ing openings in its sides, a guard or protecting plate for the upper surface of the chimney, and windshields for the openings in the sides of said cap.

The invention also consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of a brick chimney equipped with one of my improved caps or .a broken horizontal section through adjacent corners of the cap and wind-shield, showing them in separate pieces and the corner partition carried by the Wind-shield; Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a combined wind-shield and cap of modified construction, adapted to be placed upon a fine cap or wind-shield already installed; Fig. 9 is a plan View of the same; Fig. 10 is a trans verse vertical section through the upper portion of a chimney equipped with a moditied form of my invention, wherein the guardplate is made integral with the cap; Fig. 11 is a similar view of another modification like that shown in Fig. 10 except that the drip-extension of the guard-plate is eliminated; Fig. 12 is a broken transverse vertical section of the upper portion of a chimney equipped with another modified form of cap, in which downwardly inclined slats are employed as wind-shields; Fig 13 is a similar view illustrating a further modification in the construction of the guard plate, this form being designed particularly for use on old chimneys having cap-stones; Fig. 14 is a vertical section taken through a double flue chimney and showing how my invention may be applied thereto, and Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view of the material which is preferably employed in the manufacture of my improvements.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, 1 designates the upper part of the usual rectangular brick chimney having a single fine 2. My attachment, which in this instance is placed upon the chimney as the last step in its construction, consists of the guard-plate or frame 3, the cap 4, and windshield 5. The guard-plate is preferably formed with a short tubular section 6, extending downwardly from its inner edge and normally arranged in juxta-position to the cap 4. The lower end of this tubular section rests upon the top layer of bricks. The guard-plate slopes downwardly and outwardly from the upper end of said tubular section and also rests upon the top layer of bricks at the outer edge of the same.

Said plate projects beyond the sides of the chimney, as at 7, and has its margin curved directly downward, terminating in a bead 8. The cap 4 comprises a tubular section having an outwardly projecting flange 9 lapping over the inner portion of the guardplate. A portion of said tubular section extends below said flange, through the guardplate, and some distance into the flue of the chimney, as at 10. The cap also extends above the flange 9, and it is in this portion that the lateral openings 11 are formed. The top of said upwardly extending portion is closed, as at 12, preferably by a domeshaped plate made integral therewith. The wind-shield 5 is in the form of a vertical wall extending entirely around the cap 4 in alinement with the outer surfaces of the walls of the chimney. The wind-shield is therefore spaced away from the cap a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the chimney walls. In the preferred form, said wind-shield is made integral with the cap, being connected. thereto by partitions or wings 13 arranged at the four corners. These partitions or wings also serve to separate the space within the wind-shield and surrounding the cap into four compartments 14. Openings 15 are provided at or near the lower edge of the windshield, out of alinement with, and preferably well below, the openings 11 in the sides of the cap. One or more openings 15 may be formed in each side of the wind-shield. It will be understood that the compartments 14 or spaces between the cap and wind-shield, are left open at the top, as at 16 in Fig. 3. The openings 15, therefore, serve as drains for the compartments 14 into which rain and snow are free to enter through their uncovered upper ends.

In assembling the parts of my attachment, the guard-plate is first placed in position on top of the brick work of the chimney, and the combined cap and Wind-shield adjusted by inserting the lower portion 10 of the cap through the guard-plate or frame and down into the flue until the lower edge of the wind-shield comes in contact with said guard-plate. The flange 9 is then located just above the inner edge of said plate. I have found it desirable to place a thin layer or filling of cement 17 between said flange and plate, between the portion of the cap arranged within the tubular section 6 of said plate, and between the lower portion of the cap and the inner surface of the brick work of the chimney. This filling of cement binds the cap securely to the chimney proper. As long as said cap remains in place, it will retain the guard-plate in proper position. It will be observed that in the form shown the cross sectional area of any two adjacent compartments 14 is about equal to or greater than that of the flue or cap, and that in case the wind or air currents which enter one or two of the compartments 14 should interfere in any way with the smoke being discharged through said compartments, the other two compartments, which are not subjected to the direct influence of the wind, are ample to discharge all of the smoke from the flue.

In operation, when. the wind strikes the chimney squarely on one side, or on two adjacent sides at the same time, it enters the exposed opening or openings 15 in the windshield and passes up through the corresponding compartment or compartments 14. The velocity of the wind up through said compartments is accelerated by the incline of the guard-plate. As the wind passes the openings 11 in the cap, it creates an induced current or suction up the flue which increases the draft of the chimney. The smoke or products of combustion are drawn out through said openings 11 and discharged from the open ends 16 of the compartments 14 with the air current. That part of the wind which strikes the attachment and does not pass in through one or more of the openings 15 in the wind-shield is turned sharply upward by the flat surfaces of the attachment and, as said wind passes above and beyond the open ends 16 of the compartments 14, it further increases the draft by tending to create a vacuum in said compartments. This influence of the wind which passes upward on the outside of the windshield is sufiicient to counteract any tendency of the wind which enters said wind-shield to cause down-drafts in the flue. The cover 12 at the top of the cap excludes rain or snow from the flue. WVhatever moisture enters the wind-shield will be discharged by the guardplate 3 well beyond the sides of the chimney, by reason of the projecting portion 7 of said plate. There is, consequently, no danger of the dirty or sooty water from the interior of the wind-shield running down the sides of the chimney, which would tend to mar its appearance.

As a modification of my invention, I have shown in Fig. 10 the guard-plate made integral with the cap. If desired, the lateral extension of the plate may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 11. The wind-shield may also be made separate from the top, as shown in Fig. 7; the partitions 13 being preferably formed on the wind-shield.

Another modification of my invention is illustrated in Fig. 12, in which the outer wind-shield is dispensed with and a series of downwardly inclined slats 17" are placed. above a like number of slots 18 in the periphery of the upwardly projecting portion of the cap. Said slats serve as windshields to their respective slots.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is shown a combined cap and wind-shield of slightly different construction, the Walls of the cap being omitted but the cover thereof, the wind-shield and the wings or corner partitions being retained. This form of the device is designed for attachment to a projecting flue section or tube already in place on a chimney. Openings must, of course, be cut in the sides of said projecting fiue section to discharge the smoke because the upper end thereof will be closed by the cover 12. The partitions or wings 13 reach inward to the flue section thereby dividing the space between it and the wind-shield into a plurality of compartments or chambers similar to those shown at 14 in Fig. 4. When my attachment is used on a chimney already constructed and pro vided with a cap-stone, as at 19, Fig. 13, the guard-plate may be materially shortened, as at 20, so as merely to cover the juncture of the cap and the inner edge of the cap-stone, it being presumed that the latter will withstand the action of rain and snow better than brick work.

In Fig. 1 1, I have illustrated one way in which my invention may be applied to a double-flue chimney. In this case I prefer to make the guard-plate in a single piece, toprotect the entire top of the chimney, and provide the same with two openings-adapted to fit around the two chimney caps. The portion of the guard plate between the two openings is made with a channel 21 which carries the water to either side of the chimney. Otherwise the attachment may conform to my preferred construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the wind shield, however, being made sutficiently large to accommodate the two caps, or two separate wind-shields used.

My attachment is preferably made of reinforced material such as clay or cement, as at 22, Fig. 15, applied to wire-mesh material 23, or its equivalent, though other material may be used. The outer surface of the attachment may be colored and marked to conform to the brick or stone work of the chimney proper, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the device is not only pleasing in appearance, but practically indiscernible as a separate part from the chimney itself.

It is obvious that the attachment may be enlarged sufficiently to set out beyond the sides of the chimney proper or vice-versa, and may be made of reinforced material alone or of fireclay or fire-clay and asbestos, either combined with or independent of the reinforcing material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a chimney, of a cap fitting the flue thereof and having an imperforate top and openings in its sides, and walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap all around the latter, said walls being arranged substantially in vertical alinement with the outer surfaces of the chimney and having openings arranged out of horizontal alinement with the openings in the cap.

2. The combination with a chimney, of a cap fitting the flue thereof and having an imperforate top and openings in its sides, and walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap all around the latter and having openings arranged opposite the openings in the cap but out of horizontal alinement therewith, said walls extending down adjacent the top of the chimney and being otherwise imperforate, whereby the space between said walls and cap from the top of the chimney to the top of the cap is completely inclosed except for the openings mentioned.

3. The combination with a chimney, of a can fitting the flue thereof and having openings in its sides and an imperforate top, the sides being arranged substantially in vertical alinement with the surfaces of the flue, and walls surrounding and spaced away from the cap all around the latter, said walls being disposed substantially in vertical alinement with the outer surfaces of the chimney and having openings therein arranged out of the horizontal plane of the openings in the cap.

4. A chimney top comprising a cap provided with an imperforate top and openings in its sides, walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap and having openings therein arranged out of alinement with the openings in said cap, and partitions extending laterally from said cap to said walls and longitudinally from the lower margins of the openings in the walls substantially to the top of said walls, thereby separating the space between said walls and cap into a plurality of compartments each having an opening through its outer wall and also an opening through the cap.

5. A chimney top comprising a cap provided with an imperforate top and openings in its sides, walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap and having openings therein arranged out of alinement with the openings in said cap, and partitions extending laterally from said cap to said walls and longitudinally from the lower margins of the openings in the walls substantially to the top of said walls, thereby separating the space between said walls and cap into a plurality of compartments, each having an opening through its outer wall and also an opening through the cap, and an upwardly and inwardly inclined plate extending from the opening in the outer wall of each compartment to the cap below the openings therein.

6. A chimney top comprising a cap rectangular in cross section and provided With an imperforate top and openings in its sides,

rectangular walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap and having openings therein arranged out of horizontal alinement with the openings in said cap, and partitions extending from the corners of said walls to the corners of said cap thereby separating the space between said walls and cap into four compartments.

7. A chimney top comprising a cap provided with an imperforate top and openings in its sides, walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap and having openings therein arranged out of alinement with the openings in said cap, and partitions extending from said cap to said walls separating the space between them into a plurality of compartments, the combined cross-sectional area of the compartments arranged around one-half the cap being at least equal to the cross-sectional area of the cap itself for the purpose specified.

8. A chimney top comprising a cap provided with an imperforate top and openings in its sides, walls surrounding and spaced away from said cap and having openings therein arranged below the openings in the cap, and a plate extending outwardly and downwardly from the cap to the surrounding walls at the lower edges of the openings in the latter for draining the space between said walls and cap.

9. The combination with a chimney, of a cap mounted thereon and having an imperforate top and openings in its sides, an inwardly and upwardly inclined plate resting upon the top of the chimney and fitted around said cap below the openings therein, and walls extending upwardly from said plate above the level of the openings in the cap, said walls having openings adjacent the plate and below the level of the openings in the cap.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS W. FERGUSON.

Witnesses:

SARAH O. KERR, J. M. ONEIL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

